Statues of Shadow and Virtue
by PorcelainWhiteRoses
Summary: When Alice is sent out on a mission to save everyone for Shadow Pokemon... Well... You'll see.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun was beginning to rise above Alice's head as she began her daily chores of sweeping up the house and tending to her sister's Pokémon in the ranch. However, this day she was heading out to the hatchery island to take some notes on the amount of eggs and figure prices for the eggs laid. Alice's sister Annabella was the Pokémon Champion alongside Cynthia. She was famous and beautiful in Alice's eyes. Annabella's love for Pokémon was passed down to Alice, a thirteen year-old girl who was about to begin her journey.

"Alice, would you come over here?" Annabella called from across the field. She was standing over two Misdreavus, hovering peacefully above the ground. Alice rushed over to her sister and looked up into her blue eyes, "Father and I have been discussing how you've never left the ranch or have been outside of Snowpoint city. You've yet to see the Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, and most of the Sinnoh region. And then of course, the Unova region. We've found the perfect way for you to see everything there is to see while helping us."

"I get to go out around the world by myself?" Alice asked.

Annabella shook her head, "We have someone waiting for you in Pallet Town of the Johto region."

"Why am I going? How am I helping you?" Alice had thought about what was happening over and over again but couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she would have her own journey.

Annabella sat on the ground, Alice copied her action, sitting as demurely as her older sister, "Well, you're not exactly helping me… You're helping the Pokémon… And the world."

"The world…?" Alice clarified.

"You see… In all the regions, the Pokémon are acting strange. People have reported that every once in awhile, they'll see a Pokémon emanating a black aura from its body." Annabella began, "These Pokémon have been making people very nervous. We have reasons to believe that one of every Pokémon species has this characteristic. The 'Shadow' Pokémon attack people without reasons, they are twice as strong as a normal Pokémon, and it seems as though the aura is contagious. However, the Pokémon that are affected by the Shadow Pokémon aren't as strong as the original or emit aura. But they do receive the aggressive trait, making them very dangerous."

"So… you want me to go and help these Pokémon return to normal?"

"Yes…" Annabella stood, "Mother and father can explain better than me. Come on," She helped Alice up to her feet and led the way towards a small cabin, "They're in here." Alice followed her sister into the wooden house where hundreds of photos- each of a Pokémon species- covered the room. Each photo had a price on it, indicating the price of the eggs that belong to that Pokémon species. Alice and her sister walked into the adjacent room that was usually locked. Inside were various souvenirs from cities and towns all over the world; from fine diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, to wooden statuettes.

In the middle of the room was a wooden table, a golden and silver cloth spread across the top. At the table sat a woman and man, both in their mid 30s at the most. The woman had long blonde hair, reaching to the middle of her back. The man had a dirtier shade of blonde that was long for a man. It had gone straight down past his shoulders by a few inches. Both had dark, unreadable eyes and equally unreadable expressions. Alice never had a way to understand her parents the way her sister had. Annabella could take one look at their parents and know immediately how they were feeling or what was on their minds.

The woman stood, "Annabella, have you told her?"

Annabella nodded and took a seat beside her father, "Sort of… I explained as far as why Shadow Pokémon are problems. I thought you two could explain the statuettes and shrine better than I ever could."

Alice looked from her mother to her father, confused. Her mother brought Alice to a seat beside Annabella and sat back down. The mother turned to her husband as if to tell him to explain. Finally, after moments of silence, he spoke, "There's an island… It's off the coast the of the Hoenn region. The name of this island is Rebirth Island. On this island is a shrine. The Shrine of Virtue… When you defeat an original Shadow Pokémon, it will turn into a small statuette. Inside is the soul of that Pokémon. When you bring the soul to the shrine, you can purify the Pokémon and its purified form will appear before you as an ally."

Holding up a hand, Alice stopped her father, "Let me see if I've got this so far. By defeating Shadow Pokémon, they become small statues. I take these to the shrine and they will return to their natural form and become my Pokémon?"

Her mother nodded, "That's the idea. Once the Pokémon is purified, you get to keep that statuette. Once the souls are released, you can send the statue back home. We'll keep track of what Pokémon you need if you like."

"But how do I defeat them? I don't have any Pokémon of my own." Alice pointed out.

Alice's father glanced at Annabella who sighed, "You know how you love that Eevee my Vaporeon had a few weeks ago?"

Alice remembered the playful Eevee that had been born a month ago. She loved playing with the Pokémon and had asked her sister over and over again if she could have her, "Yeah, I know. Why? Can I have her!"

Annabella nodded with a smile, "That's why I said no so many times. I was waiting for this."

Jumping up to her feet in excitement, Alice's anticipation grew. She couldn't wait to start her journey, "When do I leave?"

Her father laughed, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave us, Ally?" He sighed, "But if you must know, your sister is flying you to Pallet down in a few hours. She has all you'll need upstairs in her room." Annabella stood and motioned for Alice to follow her. As the two girls disappeared up the stairs, their father turn to his wife, "Do you think she'll be alright?"

"Vincent, you worry too much. Have faith in our daughter, she'll be fine. I'm confident that Alice with be successful with her journey. However, my only worry is the legendaries…" Her mother trailed off.


	2. Chapter 2

"So I can just have all of this?" Alice asked, taking an envelope of more money than she could count in a week. Annabella nodded as she pulled a PokéGear from off her dresser and set in on her bed next to Alice.

"This is your PokéGear, use it to call people you know, use it as a map, or just use it as a PokéDex," Annabella explained, either way, it'll be useful. We've already sent your guide a chart with a list of Pokémon. So he can keep track of what Pokémon you've collected. Or we could do it, either way. So make sure you use that money for PokéBalls and pay phones, alright?"

Alice nodded in response and took the PokéGear from her sister, stuffing it into her pocket. Pushing herself up to her feet, Alice watched her sister leave to go speak with their parents once again. Alice sighed and contemplated on everything that had just happened. Just yesterday she was giving tours of a ranch, now she was readying herself for her journey. She shook her head then ran downstairs after her sister.

About half an hour later, it was time to leave. Alice followed her sister outside to a large clearing where Annabella's Flygon lay lazily on the ground. Flygon had been with Annabella since it was a Trapinch. She and Flygon were inseparable and there wasn't a battle that Flygon hadn't been a part of. Annabella pushed Flygon to his feet and climbed aboard the large Pokémon. Holding out her hand, she helped Alice up onto Flygon's back. Then, as they waved to their parents, the two girls took off towards Pallet Town.

With a loud thump, Flygon landed on the solid ground once again. Alice slid off Flygon's back and glanced up at her sister, "Aren't you getting off too?"

Annabella shook her head, "No, I've gotta get back to the ranch." She pointed to a house in the corner of the small town's common area, "David's in there. He'll take you around. He's from Rebirth Island so he knows his way to the shrine. Make sure you call every night, alright Alice?" After Alice nodded in reply, Flygon took off once more and Alice watched as the silhouetted figure glided through the air and out of sight.

Alice turned to the house Annabella had pointed out. With a sigh, she began making her way towards the building. Just as she went to knock on the door, a boy, about a few years older than Alice, busted out the door and straight into Alice, knocking her over. The boy scrambled to his feet and pulled Alice back up to her feet, "So sorry about that, guess I was in a hurry there-" The boy stopped as he looked at Alice's face, "Oh, you're Alice aren't you? I'm David," He shook her hand forcefully, "Nice to meet you."

Looking over the boy, Alice familiarized herself with her new guide. He had a buzz cut that allowed only a little hint of red hair show from the short hairs on his head. His eyes had a faint green in them, along with a hint of grey. He was fairly scrawny, not too much muscle or excess body weight. His height exceeded Alice's by a few inches, making her need to look up in order to talk face-to-face. David had baggy, navy blue shorts with deep pockets on either side. He had a denim overcoat with a plain white T-Shirt underneath. David bore a pair of orange sandals that revealed his sun-kissed skin.

"I guess you're not much of a talker, huh?" David asked after moments of Alice's silence, "Or are you just shy?" He bent down so he could make eye contact with the younger girl.

Alice stepped away slightly as she noticed how close she was, "Oh, sorry. I spaced out a bit there. Yeah, I'm Alice, nice to meet you as well." She took in her surroundings.

"Well, I know you just got here and all but… I think we should get to work quickly. Why don't you come in for some tea or something then we'll go out for our journey? I've already collected information on our first target." David entered the building once again, holding the door for Alice as she slowly followed. The inside was just a normal home; a kitchen in the corner of the space and a table in the center of the room with a TV in front of it, "Why don't you have a seat while I go find my aunt?"

Alice nodded and sat down on the cushioned chair at the table. She tapped her fingers along the wood as she waited, listening to the mumbling of voices in the kitchen. A few moments later a tall woman with long red hair entered the room, followed by David. She was carrying a teapot, with the matching cups being carried by David. The woman and David set everything down on the table and both took their seats on either side of Alice.

"Alice, this is my Aunt Catherine." David introduced, gesturing to the woman as he poured tea into each of the three cups, passing them around.

Alice took a quick sip from the steaming drink then set it gently back down on the table, smiling at Catherine, "Hello, thank you for the tea, ma'am."

Catherine laughed, "Oh please, honey. Call me Aunt Catherine, I just loathe being called ma'am." Alice smiled back and continued sipping her tea quietly, "Well, now for our matter of business, shall we?" David and Alice nodded and listened carefully as Catherine explained their first mission, "I've been walking around the town and I've heard of Ratata in the area acting very strange." She continued on, "A particular Ratata has been seen glowing black aura and has wiped out trainers along Route 1. This is your first course of action. Take out the Ratata."


	3. Chapter 3

"So they were last spotted around here, or at least that's what my neighbor told me." David began, "You do have a Pokémon to fight, right?"

Alice nodded and took out the PokéBall her sister had given her earlier that day. Tossing it up into the air, an Eevee appeared in a flash of red light. The small Pokémon looked around quickly then turned to its trainer with a confused glance. Alice walked past the Pokémon who decided it was just best to follow her master rather than be left behind. As Alice walked, she realized something. She hadn't bought any PokéBalls. "David, do you have any PokéBalls on you? I forgot to buy some earlier."

David reached into his messenger bag that hung down against his right thigh. He pulled out a Pokeball and handed it to Alice, "I have one, I figured you wouldn't have any when you arrived."

"Thank you." Alice replied, struggling to fit the enormous PokéBall into her pocket. When she finally managed to fit it in, she continued on walking alongside David, Eevee trailing behind by a few inches. Suddenly, there was a loud rustling. Alice turned to David quickly, "What was that?" She stared at a bush a few feet away that had begun to rustle, "Surely it couldn't be _that_ easy to find the Ratata." But sure enough, there was a Ratata, jumping from the bush straight for Alice and David.

Eevee slammed herself against the hostile Ratata, sending it across the area. The mouse Pokémon quickly rebounded and used Tackle on Eevee, causing her to be flung against Alice's leg. Stepping back slightly, Alice held out her hand, "Eevee, use Tackle again!" Eevee quickly obeyed and jumped at Ratata once again. This time, it was powerful enough to send the Pokémon flying off into the bushes. Seeming quite proud with itself, Eevee trotted over to Alice with her head held high. Alice knelt down to pet Eevee's head gently, "Great job, too bad that wasn't the Shadow Pokémon, huh?"

"But it was pretty powerful…" David pointed out, "We best be careful." He began walking down Route 1, keeping an eye out for the Shadow Pokémon. Alice followed closely behind alongside Eevee. In the far end of her vision, Alice could see the passage building to Viridian City. She sighed and glanced around.

Alice squinted as her eyes landed on a strange black cloud. It wasn't in the sky, no. It was filtering up from behind a tree. Alice tapped David's arm rapidly, "Look at that… I think that's our target."

As David caught sight of it, his eyes went wide. He pushed Alice in front of him slightly, "Go ahead, he's all yours."

Alice nodded and slowly crept forward, Eevee, stomach hanging low to the ground, followed her just as quietly. In a low whisper, Alice began to order Eevee, "Use Tackle, fast." Eevee slowly stalked forward towards the black smoke then burst into a run for the black mass. As she turned to corner, Eevee pushed a black smoke emitting Ratata from behind the tree. The Shadow Pokémon shrieked and quickly turned on Eevee, throwing her away with one Tackle. Alice made a low growl noise and sent Eevee towards Ratata once again. With a loud thump, Ratata slammed against the ground a few feet away. However, the event ended up spelling trouble when Ratata pinned Eevee down to the ground.

The small Pokémon squirmed underneath the Shadow Pokémon. Alice shouted at Eevee, "Come Eevee, you can do it! Throw it off quickly!" However, the Shadow Pokémon proved too strong for Eevee and the Evolution Pokémon went limp and whimpered underneath the fierce Pokémon.

When the battle seemed lost, Alice went to return Eevee to her PokéBall. However, before she had the chance, she heard David's voice shout, "Absol! Quick, help them!" And a huge white figure ran at Ratata, slamming it off Eevee with its long blade on its head. Alice had to blink to realize that the white figure was a Pokémon. David's Pokémon to be exact, "Eevee! Come on! Your turn, one last Tackle on Ratata!" She ordered as she observed that Ratata was close to unconsciousness. Eevee took advantage of the Ratata's weakened state and threw herself as hard as possible against the Shadow.

Suddenly, the Pokémon began to shake violently, the Ratata caught in the middle of something between a seizure, and a muscle spasm. The Pokémon seemed to become petrified and movement stopped suddenly. Then, the Pokemon became engulfed in light. As the light died away, it revealed a two inch statuette of marble. Eevee picked the statue up in her mouth and brought it over to Alice. Taking it from Eevee and bringing it to her face, Alice could see the incredible detail on the statue. It captured every contour of Ratata. The statue was still emanating a dark smoke from its edges. Gripping it tightly, brought it over to David so he could examine the statue as well.

David turned the small statue over and over in his hands. He slipped it into a pocket of his messenger bag and turned to Alice, "Just so you can see how to use the Shrine, we'll head over there now." David sent out a large, green dragon Pokémon. He had red caps over its eyes like goggles and a long green and red tail. Alice looked from the Flygon to the Absol.

"You have such amazing Pokémon, David." Alice commented, returning her Eevee to the PokéBall along with David who returned his Absol.

David gave a short smile at the praise as Alice climbed aboard Flygon, taking her seat behind David. He reached back, gripping Alice's wrist and pulling it over to him, "Hold on tight." He said quickly and Flygon began to rise up into the air. Alice wrapped her arms around his waist securely to assure that she wouldn't fall off.

Flygon didn't waste any time soaring through the sky as a small island came into view. It hadn't taken them much time to get to the island. Alice could see the mainland of the Hoenn region where an aunt of hers lived. She was looking at Lilycove City where her aunt owned a little house on the edge of the land. She nearly fell off Flygon as it landed hard on the ground. David slid slowly off Flygon and onto the hard ground. Alice followed quickly as David began to return Flygon to its PokéBall. David led the way to a small town with wooden cabins that had the last name of families on the wood of the door. He brought Alice to the door with Landis engraved on the front. He knocked once then entered, Alice following behind him.

"This is my house, my parents are the Shrine keepers." David explained shortly as an older woman came into the room from upstairs. She smiled at Alice then turned to David, "Mother, this is Alice, she's the one who is going to purify the Pokémon."

"Alice…" David's mother repeated, glancing at the girl, "I suppose you didn't come here empty handed? Come along child." She didn't hesitate to lead Alice and David outside in the direction of a large stone building.

The building was obviously made of granite. The entrance was a simple post and lintel entryway that brought the three inside to an enormous empty space. Along the walls was ancient writing. Alice had seen the writing once before in a picture her older sister had seen once. Annabella had told her that they were inside three different caves where the three legendary Pokémon; Regirock, Regice, and Registeel, were said to sleep. Alice stared in awe as her eyes fixed themselves on an altar in the room's center. Light filtered down from a large star shaped whole in the ceiling. As they approached the altar, David handed Alice the dark statuette of the Ratata.

Alice was right in front of the altar as she realized that the altar had two indents; one had a rounded bottom that her PokéBall fit into perfectly. The other was the same shaped and size as the bottom of the Ratata statue. David and his mother stepped away as Alice instinctively placed the items into the altar. She shielded her eyes as the statue and PokéBall illuminated with a blinding light. She moved her arm back down as the light faded away; the statuette was no longer foamed black smoke and seemed more pure.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ratata's soul has disappeared from the statue. It now resides in the PokéBall where it is at your command." David's mother explained, "Go ahead, and try it."

Alice nodded and threw the Ratata's PokéBall up in the air. In a red mass of plasma, Ratata appeared. Alice approached the Pokémon and slowly petted its head. It was no longer vicious and abnormally strong. It was an ordinary Pokémon now who wouldn't attack unless given the command, "Feeling better, Ratata?" She asked softly. Then Alice stood and returned Ratata to his PokéBall, turning to David and his mother, "We still don't know why Pokémon are being affected like this…"

"I guess we can only find out by continuing to collect these Pokémon until we can find some answers." David replied, taking the marble statuette off the altar and putting it back into the pocket of is bag, "I think we can get one more capture in today, right?" David asked, putting a hand on Alice's shoulder.

Alice looked up and nodded, "I agree, but I think Eevee may be a little tired after her last fight. I probably use Ratata for this one." Alice pulled out her PokéGear, "I should probably call my sister…" Alice shuffled through her three contacts and dialed Annabella, lifting the phone to her cheek. It rang once, twice, three times then Annabella picked up the phone, "Hey sis, I got a shadow Pokémon purified."

"Really? Already? That's wonderful!" Annabella voice grew quiet as she spoke to their parents, "Mom, Dad, Alice just purified a Pokémon!" Then to Alice, "What Pokémon was it?"

"A Ratata. David had to help me with it though; Eevee wasn't strong enough to take it alone." Alice explained. She glanced over at David who was tapping an impatient foot. Alice sighed, "Well, I gotta get going. I'll call you later, alright? Bye sis." She looked at David, "Are we going back to Pallet Town now?"

David nodded and walked alongside his mother outside of the Shrine. Alice followed more slowly, returning Ratata to his PokéBall. She pranced over to the Flygon that was already outside his PokéBall. She climbed up once again and hugged David's waist to secure herself. Waving goodbye to his mother, David ordered Flygon to fly up.

An hour later, the two were back on Route 1. They had left immediately after landing in Pallet Town to search for more leads. Alice kept wide-eyes looking for any sign of trouble. She jumped, startled, as the shrill cry of a child came from not to far up the road. David and Alice exchanged a worried glance and rushed towards the noise. An old man stood shaking as he stared at a large figure not too far up the road. As David and Alice got closer, they realized that the figure wasn't just one Pokémon, but many Pidgey attacking a pair of twin girls!

"Absol! Go!" David shouted, throwing a PokéBall into the midst of the fight. The familiar white Pokémon appeared over the cowering twins, standing protectively. With a flick of the blade upon his head, Absol sent three Pidgey flying away. Alice sent her Ratata out into the fray, watching it carefully as it stood looking at the brawl.

"Ratata! Use Tackle on the glowing Pidgey!" Alice shouted, focusing on the Shadow Pidgey of the group, "Quickly!" Ratata obeyed and jumped onto the Pidgey, pinning its wings onto the ground. The Pidgey lifted its talon and scratched Ratata's belly furiously until he finally jumped off, shrieking in pain, "Come on , Ratata! You can do it!" Ratata was field with energy from his trainer's words and rammed into Pidgey once again, "No use Quick Attack!" Ratata jumped away from Shadow Pidgey and rushed forward with incredible speed, sending the bird flying away.

Meanwhile, Absol was fighting away the Pidgey from the twins. The Pokémon was winning, but growing tired from the large number of foes. Alice stepped backwards as she realized the Pidgey was escaping, "David, The Shadow Pidgey escaped." Alice sighed, turning to him.

David had a troubled expression, "You go chase it down. Absol and I got these." Alice nodded and ran off after the Pidgey. She wasn't about to let this one get away. Ratata followed Alice hastily, trying its best to not be left behind. The Pidgey led them straight into Viridian City. Alice ran through the Route connector, past security, and into the city. The Pidgey was taking a rest on the ground underneath a bench, "Ratata! Quick Attack once more!" And with that, Ratata flung himself, full speed, into Shadow Pidgey, slamming it between Ratata's body and a fence.

Shadow Pidgey collapsed on the ground and froze. In a flurry of feathers, it warped into a marble statuette. Alice moved to pick it up, the black aura familiarly rising from the figure, "Ratata, return." Alice ordered, holding up the PokéBall. Alice turned back towards Route 1 and quickly made her way back towards David.

As she approached David and his Absol, they were they were watching the wild Pidgey flying away peacefully. Now that the Shadow Pokémon had been quelled, their hostility faded. David looked up at Alice and returned Absol to his PokéBall, approaching her, "So, did you get the Pidgey?"

"Yep," Alice replied, holding up the statue, "Are the girls okay?"

David looked back at the old man walking back towards Pallet Town with the two little girls, "Yeah, their grandfather is taking them back home."

"Hm…" Alice muttered, "I need to get to the PokéMart so I can buy more PokéBalls, I'm out. That and I need to buy a bag for everything." And with that, the two teens began walking back towards Viridian City.

That night, the two had decided to get a room at the local PokéCenter. They were both exhausted and could barely walk another step. Alice was sitting on her bed, they had gotten separate rooms for obvious reasons. Beside the girl were her two Pokémon. Eevee was curled up by Alice's pillow and Ratata sat watchfully next to Eevee as if he were protecting her. Alice stood and left the room, Eevee and Ratata jumping off the bed quickly to follow her. She walked across the hall and knocked lightly on David's door.

"No answer…" She sighed, looking down at her small Pokémon. Alice attempted to open the door to find it unlocked. Slowly, she pushed the door open, looking around for David. He was nowhere to be seen but Absol was sitting guard in front of the queen sized bed. Eevee and Ratata pushed their way past Alice and made their way into the room and over to Absol. Alice laughed softly to herself and came in as well, shutting the door quietly behind her. She figured David was in the shower as she heard the water running in the bathroom.

Alice sat down on the bed above Absol's head. She placed a hand of the Dark-type's soft head and ruffled his fur. The Pokémon stood and faced Alice then glanced over at the bathroom door as it opened. David came around the corner, scrubbing his hair with a plain white towel. As he tossed it on the ground, he caught sight of Alice, "How'd you get in?"

"Door was open." She answered, stroking Absol's strong back. Eevee and Ratata were sniffing Absol's legs, inspecting the larger Pokémon. Absol shuffled his paws nervously and the smaller creatures moved away from Absol and sat in front of the TV set patiently. Alice stood and nudged Absol aside, "Well, I'll get going. I'll see you in the morning. Come on, guys." Alice walked out of the room, holding the door open for her two Pokémon then led them across the hallway.


End file.
